2013 Schedule: What Is It Competing Against?

We also look at a race when it rolls around and say "oh, it's going against NASCAR" or "oh, were going against golf." I took an early look at what IndyCar will be up against and what it won't be.

St. Pete (March 24)- NASCAR is at Fontana that day. The race should get in by green flag for NASCAR.
Barber (April 7)-IndyCar will be up against NASCAR at Martinsville and of course baseball season will have begun by then.
Long Beach (April 21)- NASCAR is at Kansas that weekend. Race should be close to over when Long Beach begins. Other than that, NBA playoffs will have just started and the NHL playoffs (if the season ever starts) could also be going on.
Sao Paulo (May 5)- Going head-to-head with NASCAR at Talladega.
Indianapolis (May 26)- Who cares? It's Indianapolis.
Detroit (June 1 & 2)- NASCAR will be at Dover that weekend. Good news: Detroit Tigers will be out of town that weekend.
Texas (June 8)- NASCAR is at Pocono the next day, as is the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix. If it is anything like 2012, we will be deep in the NBA playoffs and in the middle of the Stanley Cup finals.
Milwaukee (June 15)- NASCAR is at Michigan the next day. Formula One is in New Jersey but won't be racing until the next day. Milwaukee Brewers will be in Cincinnati that weekend. This will be the third day of golf's US Open.
Iowa (June 23)- NASCAR will be in Sonoma. Race should get in before the green flag there.
Pocono (July 7)- NASCAR races at Daytona the day before. Philadelphia Phillies are home that weekend, as are the New York Yankees. Should be the day of the men's finals at Wimbledon but that should be over or close to over by the green flag.
Toronto (July 13 & 14)- Will be going against NASCAR at New Hampshire on Sunday. Toronto Blue Jays are in Baltimore that weekend.
Mid-Ohio (August 4)- Pocono will be hosting there second NASCAR race that weekend. Good news: No Olympics in 2013.
Sonoma (August 25)- NASCAR races Saturday at Bristol. NFL preseason will be going on.
Baltimore (September 1)- Labor Day weekend. NASCAR is at Atlanta, but they normally run that as a night race. Baltimore should be well over before going green flag there.
Houston (October 5-6)- NFL season will be a month in already. Hopefully the Houston Texans are scheduled as off or playing on Thursday or Monday night that weekend. NASCAR will be at Kansas that day.
Fontana (October 19)- Saturday night means going against college football. This year USC is playing home that weekend and UCLA is off. NASCAR is racing Sunday at Talladega.

Scoreboard says six races definitely head-to-head with NASCAR, with possibly another three races. Not against any final rounds of golf majors. One grand slam tennis men's final. Two races in the middle of football season. It would be nice to see IndyCar capitalize on NASCAR's off weekend in July but there is no word that there will be late additions.